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How to Get Budget and Approval for a New Creative Team Member

How to Get Budget and Approval for a New Creative Team Member

No matter the size of your business, it’s the people that make the difference. Finding the right team member to execute an important marketing or business strategy is a puzzle you have to solve for maximum returns on investment. Whether your company employs 50 people or 50,000 people, you may have to convince your higher-ups that taking on a new creative team member is worth the cost and effort, much like howcreative teams must pitch their work.

Use these tips to successfully convey that allocating resources to bring on someone new will result in returns for the company.

Prepare Yourself for the Task Ahead

Preparation is key when it comes to a successful pitch about bringing on a new team member. From the beginning, think about your presentation from the perspective of the person who will be hearing your pitch. Knowing your audience is a major element of a successful proposal, as it will be up to this person (or people) to make the decision. Know who you’re pitching to and think about the goals and objectives they will have in mind.

Then, tailor your pitch toward why hiring someone new would meet these company goals, instead of focusing on why you as an individual wish to bring someone on. Don’t rush the preparation process or throw your pitch together at the last minute. The more prepared you are to make your pitch, the more likely you are to receive approval.

Make it Easy for the Company to Say Yes

Think about the current issues your company experiences, and how adding a new team member could solve them. Imagine how muchstronger your creative team could be with this new person. Brainstorm all the benefits of bringing the talent on and write down your ideas. Then, think about how you can translate these advantages into a better bottom line for the company. If there are opportunities the brand is currently missing without the talent, explain how this is resulting in lost productivity, missed sales, or lack of customer engagement. If your pitch shows that the new hire makes financial sense for the company, it makes it easier for the executive to say yes.

Learn the Art of Negotiation

Before you step foot in the presentation room, prepare yourself to agree to a compromise. This is what the entire pitching process is about – both sides coming to an agreement about how to work out the issue at hand. Keep in mind that no matter how much money the company makes, there is a budget within which the executive must coordinate your request. Mentally prepare to have some flexibility in your proposal to increase the odds of success.

One area you might be able to compromise on and still receive your new creative team member is the status of the employee. Consider agreeing to hire a junior employee for a lower salary range (use asalary guide for hard numbers here). Perhaps you could find someone who can also fill another vacant position or save the company money elsewhere in the budget. Going into your meeting with a flexible mindset gives you ample opportunity to come to a compromise.

Give Your Presentation a Winning Edge

Your pitch shouldn’t be unnecessarily long or drawn-out, but should shine in the time you have.Your pitch should contain all the information you wish to convey, plus a little something extra to give you that winning edge – such as putting multiple options on the table. Don’t limit your argument to just a yes or no question, where you would have a 50/50 chance of success.

Instead, present numerous, clear options to improve your odds. Save your company money by outsourcing the work, for example, or suggest finding atemporary employee or independent contractor to do the creative work. These might not be your preferred option, but they steer the conversation toward finding a way to address your needs, rather than just shooting the idea down entirely.

Get the Answer You Want

Not every new member pitch will go the way you planned. However, adequately preparing yourself and executing the pitch to your greatest advantage significantly boosts the odds of an approval. Put yourself in the executive’s shoes, make it easy for him or her to say yes, be willing to compromise, and – above all – respect the executive’s time by keeping your proposal short yet poignant. Getting the ideal new creative team member for your company will be worth the effort.